Description
American Chop Suey is a comforting skillet casserole featuring elbow macaroni cooked with ground beef, tomatoes, and a blend of cheeses. This hearty dish combines tender pasta, savory meat sauce, and melted mozzarella with Parmesan finishing, delivering a classic American comfort food perfect for family dinners.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta and Tomatoes
- 1 pound elbow macaroni or other tubular pasta, such as cavatappi
- Kosher salt
- 2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes
Base and Aromatics
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large onion, finely diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 large green pepper, finely diced (about 1 cup)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced (about 4 teaspoons)
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup finely minced fresh parsley leaves
Protein and Sauce
- 1 pound 80/20 ground beef
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, plus more for serving
- 1 cup homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
- Freshly ground black pepper
Cheeses
- 1 pound low moisture whole milk mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 3 ounces roughly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Instructions
- Prep Pasta: Place macaroni in a large bowl and cover with hot water. Season generously with salt. Let it rest, stirring twice during the first 10 minutes, while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Puree Tomatoes: Using a hand blender directly in the tomato jar or a countertop blender, process the whole peeled tomatoes until mostly smooth. Set aside.
- Sauté Aromatics: Heat oil and butter in a 5-quart straight-sided sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, swirling, until butter is mostly melted. Add diced onions and green peppers, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring frequently until softened but not browned, about 7 minutes. Add minced garlic, dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, and half of the minced parsley. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Brown Beef: Clear a space in the center of the pan and add ground beef. Increase heat to high. Break up the meat first with a wooden spoon and then with a potato masher, cooking until beef is broken into small pieces and no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Stir in the pureed tomatoes and bring to a simmer.
- Combine Pasta and Sauce: Drain noodles in a large colander set in the sink. Add noodles to the pot with the beef mixture. Stir in Worcestershire sauce and chicken stock, folding noodles gently through the sauce to integrate well. Cover and cook at a hard simmer until noodles are mostly cooked, about half the cook-time indicated on the pasta box.
- Add Cheese and Finish Cooking: Remove lid and stir to combine everything. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add half of the cubed mozzarella and stir gently to incorporate rapidly—avoid overstirring to prevent the cheese from stretching and sticking. Spread the remaining mozzarella evenly over the surface of the dish. Sprinkle half of the grated Parmesan over the top. Cover and cook over the lowest possible heat for 3 minutes.
- Rest and Serve: Remove from heat and let the dish rest covered for 5 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese and reserved parsley. Serve immediately, passing extra Worcestershire sauce at the table.
Notes
- American Chop Suey is also known as Beefaroni, macaroni and beef, chili mac, or Johnny Marzetti; all variations are delicious comfort food favorites.
- Be careful not to overstir after adding the cheese to avoid a sticky, stretchy texture.
- Use low-sodium chicken stock and moderate salt to control sodium levels.
- Leftovers are great for reheating and make excellent next-day meals.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (approx. 1/10th of recipe)
- Calories: 265 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 552 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 27 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
